Confessions of the Admin Assistant 1: My Awesome Clipboard

When I was 24, I received a huge promotion at work. I got a $5,000 raise, my own desk which wasn't in a cubicle, and a new title of Assistant to two Vice Presidents. And bonus; I got to wear a suit and heals to work everyday. It felt fabulous; I looked fabulous. I was so excited!!! At 24, I felt like I had won the lottery! But my "lottery" was very short-lived. The new unexpected surprise in my newly created position was someone my future therapist would refer to as "my present." Her name was "Bev."

Oh Bev, my blessing and my nightmare. She was the Assistant to the President, clearly more important than insignificant, inexperienced, little me. She was amazing at her job, obviously I was not. She was unbelievably territorial, and even though I had worked at the company for almost a year, she most certainly didn't want me encroaching on her space. She wanted me to fail and wasn't shy about saying so. She half-heartedly tried to train me by barking at me and generally poorly explaining procedures and tasks I was supposed to take over for her. The job was created so I could help her and remove a few things off her exceedingly busy plate. The higher ups spun it that I was going to be great for her; she, on the other hand, wanted no part of me. What a nightmare!

Her main complaint? I didn't write anything down. (Honest side bar: this statement was not entirely true and not entirely false.)

Did it ever occur to her that maybe I felt I learned better by doing? Did it ever occur to her that  maybe I had a very good memory and didn't need to write everything down? Did it ever occur to her that I was only 24 and maybe just didn't "get it" yet? Yeah, that last one probably rang the most true. Regardless, I didn't write enough down. She repeatedly complained about me and talked down to me, and, after 6 miserable months, I'd had enough. I quit.

As I reflected several years later on this experience, my takeaway was this. Did Bev have unrealistic expectations of me? Maybe. Was I set up for failure? Possibly. Could I have done better? Most definitely! Learned lesson: "For Pete's sake, Jill, write some crap down next time."

Fast forward 18 years. I live and breathe by my clipboard. Upon my clipboard resides my weekly task list. I highlight it day by day to prioritize tasks and use a black sharpie to fiercely cross things off as they are accomplished. And I've even written something on the list just to have the satisfaction of crossing it off. I write down everything! You're welcome, Bev.

I make a concerted effort every week to keep this list up to date. I use Microsoft Outlook to keep the list. That way I can keep recurring items on it without having to retype them every single week. Then, on Friday, the last thing I do before I leave the office is go through the Outlook list and mark the items completed. This regenerates a new list for the next week, which I print and attach to my clipboard.

Bev, you're my blessing. Most days, these days, I excel at my job. I knew, even 18 years ago, that this was a job I could do well. So, after taking a small detour into the teaching profession for a few years, I ended up as an Administrative Assistant again and have been doing this type of work for the past 13 years. Generally, I think most people like working with me because, they know if they ask me to do something, it will get done. I have come a long way since my days with Bev. If Bev could see me now, she may even give me a little high five... meh, maybe not, but hey, a girl can wish! So, thank you, Bev, for being my blessing, for challenging me to do better, and for making me obsessed with my checklist and my awesome clipboard. I thank you and my fellow co-workers thank you too!